Burmese cats are medium-sized cats with considerable bone structure, good muscular development, and surprising weight for their size. This, along with a rounded head, expressive eyes, and a lovely demeanor, results in a completely unique cat that is unlike any other breed.
Personality
Many people believe that Burmese are entertaining, lively, and extremely intelligent, making them the ideal interactive cats for the home or anywhere people need affection and entertainment. Burmese are devoted, caring cats who are often loyal and people-oriented. Burmese will adore you unconditionally even if you are not at your best.
Burmese appear to never grow up; they are as amusing when they are 16 weeks old as they are when they are 16 years old. These streaks of brown lightning enjoy performing animated antics for your and their entertainment. They love to entertain their families by executing daring leaps to the top of the bookcase, pausing just to ensure that their audience is watching. If their antics go unnoticed, they will hop down and fix you with an unrelenting look, demanding your attention. Burmese are a determined breed that will win almost any battle of wills.
Adult males and females may have different temperaments. Females are clever, inquisitive, active, and emotionally invested in their human companions. Males are also completely loyal to their humans, but their disposition is more tempered. They prefer to laze around after a game of fetch or hide & seek (they hide, you seek), usually on top of whatever you’re doing. The only thing they are concerned about is the cuisine and when it will be served.
Burmese have a distinct raspy voice that sounds like a cat growing hoarse from too much talking. Burmese, on the other hand, are not as talkative as their Siamese counterparts unless they have something essential to say. Then they’ll repeat the message until you whip out your global feline/human translator and take care of whatever is bothering them.
History
The origins of the Burmese as we know it now can be traced back to a single female domestic cat named Wong Mau. Dr. Joseph Thompson of San Francisco brought Wong Mau to the United States from Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar) in 1930. According to legend, an anonymous sailor handed the cat to Dr. Thompson, who brought her to the City by the Bay. Wong Mau had a compact body, a rounded, short-muzzled head, round eyes set far apart, and a short, walnut-brown coat with darker brown on her face, ears, feet, and tail.
Dr. Thompson was smitten with Wong Mau because she reminded him of cats he’d seen in Tibet. Dr. Thompson had spent several years as a US Navy doctor and had developed a keen interest in Southeast Asia. He spent time in a Tibetan monastery and was enchanted by the area’s shorthaired, solid brown cats. These felines, known as “copper cats” in their native area because to their deep brown hue, have been around for millennia in Southeast Asia.
They were illustrated and described in the ancient literature The Cat-Book Poems, a manuscript of verses and paintings created in the Thai city of Ayutthaya between 1350 c.e., when the kingdom was founded, and 1767 c.e., when the city was destroyed by invaders. According to tradition, the Burmese are descended from a breed that was previously worshiped as god-incarnations in Burmese temples. The Cat-Book Poems also includes images of Siamese and maybe Korat cats, implying that these cats existed as distinct, identifiable breeds for millennia.
Dr. Thompson was so struck with Wong Mau’s beauty and personality that he wanted to develop a program that would isolate Wong Mau’s unique traits so that he could replicate her type and color. He enlisted the assistance of other people, including Harvard University geneticist Dr. Clyde E. Keeler. Wong Mau had been mixed with Tai Mau, a sealpoint Siamese male. The kittens that resulted were three various hues and patterns: beige, sable brown, and pointed.
Dr. Thompson discovered that Wong Mau was a Siamese hybrid—half Siamese and half Burmese, or Tonkinese as we know them today. Wong Mau must have possessed the pointed pattern gene because it is a recessive feature and a cat must inherit a copy of the gene from both parents to have the pattern. It was later discovered that the Burmese gene responsible for the sable hue belongs to the albino series of gene alleles. By lowering the quantity of pigment in the hair, the Burmese gene causes solid black to appear dark sable dark brown.
Burmese cats were an instant hit when they were imported to North America in the late 1930s and early 1940s, and CFA accepted them for registration in 1936. Most cat enthusiasts fell in love with these stunning brown cats right away. The original program’s findings were reported in the April 1943 Journal of Heredity by Dr. Thompson, Virginia Cobb, Billie Gerst, and Dr. Clyde E. Keeler. Dr. Thompson died of a heart attack as the paper was being published. The newspapers increased the Burmese’s visibility and popularity.
The true appearance of the Burmese has altered over time, acquiring the diversity and current appearance. Two separate head forms arose nearly thirty years ago: the Contemporary Burmese and the European Burmese.
Physical Attributes
BODY
Medium in stature, muscular in development, and compact in appearance. Males may have a bigger size. A large, rounded chest with a level back from shoulder to tail.
HEAD
Whether viewed from the front or side, it is pleasingly contoured with no flat planes. The face is broad between the eyes and flows smoothly into a broad, well-developed short muzzle that preserves the head’s rounded features. There is frequently a distinct nose break in profile. The chin is solidly rounded, indicating a good bite. Their head is supported by a well-developed neck.
EARS
Medium in size and spacing, broad at the base and rounded at the tips. The ears contribute to an alert impression by tilting slightly forward.
EYES
Large, far apart, and with a rounded opening.
PAWS & LEGS
Legs are proportionate to the body. Round paws Five in front and four in back.
TAIL
Straight, medium-length hair.
COAT
Short and very close lying with a fine, glossy, satin-like texture.
COLOR
Platinum, sable, champagne, and blue.
Disclaimer
While the qualities listed below are common for this breed, cats are individuals with unique personalities and appearances. For more information about a specific pet, please contact the adoption group.
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